


Tamers Last Summer

by RookieBalboa



Category: Digimon Tamers
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Post-Time Skip, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23487802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RookieBalboa/pseuds/RookieBalboa
Summary: 6 years after Guilmon House was sealed off, Takato and friends find themselves living perfectly normal lives. But they don't want that. Working tirelessly to get their Digimon back, the Tamers find themselves in the last Summer of their High School careers. Before everyone goes off on their own path in life, will they be reunited with their old partners?
Relationships: Akiyama Ryou | Ryo Akiyama/Makino Ruki | Rika Nonaka, Katou Juri | Jeri Katou/Matsuda Takato | Takato Matsuki, Ootori Reika | Riley Ootori/Yamaki Mitsuo
Comments: 9
Kudos: 37





	1. Day 1

A young man lay on his half made bed in his childhood room. He stared up at his ceiling as a warm Summer breeze blew through his open window. Faint sounds of cooking utensils and bowls being clanked together had woken him up, signaling the start of the day. His parents ran a bakery, and usually by this time he would be helping them prepare for the days first batch, but they had decided to let him rest for today. After all, it was the first day of his last Summer break as a High Schooler. Sighing, the boy got out of bed…

After getting dressed for the day, the young man stood in front of his closet mirror. Sneakers, shorts, a grey t-shirt, and a light blue short sleeve overshirt. Finally, an old pair of goggles loosely hanging from one of his belt loops, and a strange device tied around his neck on a worn string. Running his finger along the devices screen, the boy brushed his brown messy hair out of his crimson eyes.

“Takato, how long do you plan on staying in there?” Came his mother’s voice from downstairs.

Rolling his eyes, the boy opened his door and walked down the stairs. His mother Yoshie was tossing fresh dough. His father Takehiro, was loading Yen into the resigster, tapping his foot to some rhythm in his head.

“Y’know Mom, letting someone sleep in usually means not calling for them 30 minutes after they’d normally wake up.” Takato Matsuki joked as he grabbed some breakfast from the fridge.

“Oh honey, we both know you don’t sleep in anymore.” His mother was kneading now, and she had turned her head to face him. “You’d think at your age you’d still be asleep this early.”

“I guess.” Takato shrugged, absentmindedly gripping the device on his neck.

“I’m surprised you never lost that thing. 6 years and it’s never left your side.” His father chimed as he noticed what his son was doing.

“Come on Dad, I’m not _that_ forgetful.”

“Yet you forget Jeri’s birthday.” His mother said.

“T-that was one time!” Takato blushed. “And I said I was sorry!”

Shaking off his embarrassment, Takato pulled out some orange juice. As he poured himself a glass, he thought back on his partner Digimon, Guilmon. 6 years had passed since they had closed off the last known portal to the Digital World. 6 years since he and his friends had sent their last messages to their Digimon. Life had continued normally after that, sure Takato and his friends would occasionally be recognized as ‘those kids who saved the world’, but eventually it kind of lost its glamour. The world moved on, and so too did the lives of the 10 kids who had helped to protect it.

“Well as long as you two make beautiful grandkids for me...”

Nearly spitting out his drink after that bombshell of a statement from his mother, Takato reeled around, his face as red as his eyes.

“Mom!”

His parents shared a laugh as Takato waved goodbye to them, wanting to get out of the store as soon as possible.

* * *

It was still too early to go and do anything, and before Takato realized it he had made his way to the park. He saw some people doing what he assumed to be their daily routines. Jogging, walking their dog, feeding the birds, etcetera. Takato sat down at a nearby bench and pulled out his phone.

8:52 AM

Sighing, he puts his phone back.

“What are you doing here, Gogglehead?”

Recognizing the sassy tone of his red-headed friend, Takato turned to see Rika Nonaka standing behind the bench he was sat at. She had her elbows resting on the back of the bench and was sipping on a cup of coffee. Her long hair was loose, hanging over her shoulders as her violet eyes looked out towards the cityscape.

“I feel like I should be asking you that. Aren’t girls supposed to get beauty sleep?” Takato asked as he scooted over to make room for her.

“Shut up. My mom had an early shoot and she practically dragged me out of bed to come with for whatever reason.” Rika sat beside Takato, placing her black purse on her lap. She was wearing jeans with a teal t-shirt, looking nothing like the daughter of a fashion model.

“I didn’t know you were a coffee person.” Takato remarked as he sank into the bench.

“I’m not.” Rika replied, not giving any further explanation. “Anyway, got any plans for today?”

Takato knew why she was asking. Her and Jeri texted practically every night.

“Oh, you know, just… going shopping…”

Rika raised her eyebrow, prompting the red eyed boy to continue.

“With Jeri.”

Rika smirked. She liked poking fun at Takato for his childlike mannerisms when talking about his girlfriend. “You two have been dating for _how long_ , and you still get all flustered?”

“I may fumble a bit, but I’m nowhere near as bad as you with-” Takato stopped immediately. Rika glared at him over her cup of coffee. Fearing for his safety, Takato quickly changed the subject.

“Uhhh… W-what are your plans for today?”

With her patented _hmph_ Rika return her gaze to the nearby pond. “I’ve got to get ready for a race next week.”

Ever since entering High School Rika had picked up the hobby of motocross racing, much to her mother’s dismay. Takato thought it fit her competitive personality, especially since the “Digimon craze” had died down and she stopped playing the game. The only one who still called her the Digimon Queen was Ryo, and almost always as a way to get her ruffled.

Takato’s phone buzzed from his pocket, and after pulling it out he saw he had gotten a message from Jeri.

J: Morning T I’ll be ready in about an hour, see you at the station! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Takato smiled as he read the message before realizing that Rika was peaking over at his screen. Turning to the side to hide his response, he replied to Jeri that he was on his way. Putting his phone away he returned his attention to Rika, who was smugly smirking at him.

“I didn’t know she still used emoticons like that.”

“I didn’t know you were raised to eavesdrop.” Takato said as he put his hands into his pockets and pouted.

Rika laughed, patting her old friend on the back. “You should probably start heading for the station if you don’t want to be late.”

Takato nodded, and stood up to leave.

“Hey Takato?”

He turned back to Rika, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

“… You’re a good guy.”

Takato was about to ask her what caused her to say that, but decided against it. Nodding once more, he left Rika alone on the bench and made his way to Shinjuku Station.

* * *

A young woman stood outside of Shinjuku Station. She was wearing green overalls atop a plain white shirt, and had her long brown hair tied in a ponytail with a green scrunchie. Her purse was to her side resting on her hip, with a strange looking device hanging like a keychain from it. In her hand was her phone, showing that it was 10:26 AM. People passed by her on their way to and from work as she leaned against the wall.

_He said he was almost here…_

The girl traced her finger along the device on her purse.

“Jeri!”

Jolting up, the girl looked over to see her boyfriend Takato jogging down a flight of stairs.

As he approached her his pace slowed, and he ended up a couple feet apart from her. “Sorry I’m late! This old lady needed help with her groceries, and then a stray dog took those groceries so I had to chase it see, and then-”

Jeri giggled, causing Takato to blush and stop his story. Takato was always like this, fumbling over himself when he got embarrassed. She had realized her feelings for Takato shortly after the D-Reaper was defeated, but she was too nervous to ever outright tell him. Jeri remembered the day he finally confessed to her, out of nowhere on the train back from middle school.

Jeri smiled. “I’m just glad you aren’t hurt.” She said, turning on her feet. “Come on, we’re gonna miss the train!”

* * *

_It was dark outside. The train was nearly empty, save for two middle school students sitting side by side. A young boy and a young girl, both still in their uniforms._

_“You didn’t have to wait for me.” The boy said, shuffling his hands._

_“I know! I just… didn’t want you to ride the train by yourself…” The girl said, equally as awkward._

_Kathunk kerthunk, kathunk kerthunk, kathunk kerthunk_

_The streetlights out the windows were blinking in and out of the boy’s vision as the train made its way past them. The girl was keeping her eyes down, or looking around the car._

_“You know-” The boy began._

_“I’ve been think-” The girl began._

_They both stopped, once again staring at their respective distractions. It had been like this in between them for the past year now…_

* * *

The ride to Harajuku wasn’t very long. Getting off at the station, the two made their way into the streets of the city.

“First up, we gotta get some crepes!” Jeri said smiling, already imagining the food in her hands.

“You and Suzie sure do love those things.”

“You wouldn’t get it. Growing up in a bakery ruined your love for carb based sweets!” Pretending to wipe away tears, Jeri pulls out her yellow dog shaped wallet. She had gotten too old for her puppet, and had refurbished it into a wallet. Pulling it up to face Takato, she flapped its “mouth”.

“Jeri said that you were covering for today!” It said in a slightly grumpy tone.

Takato laughs as they enter the boutique.

* * *

_“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while.”_

_The boy had broken the silence. Turning to look at the girl, she could tell he was scared. She was too._

_“I never thought I’d have to do this twice…” The boy muttered to himself before staring into the girls eyes. “You’re always so nice to me, and talked to me when no one else did back when I first moved here. Ever since we were kids I’ve always felt like there was something… different about you.”_

_The boy took a shaky breath. His heart was pounding, and as he closed his eyes to prepare himself, he felt the girls eyes on him._

_“Jeri… I… like you. More than I do anyone else.”_

* * *

“How does this look?”

Jeri was standing in front of a full length mirror wearing a green frilled summer dress. Takato was off to the side, holding a stack of clothes.

“You know you can’t just ask me that, anything looks good on you.”

Rolling her eyes, Jeri turned around, eyeing the dresses back. “C’mon Takato, be honest!”

“It looks great! Green really suits you.”

Squinting at Takato, Jeri nods. She turns to head back to a dressing room, satisfied with her latest future purchase. Sighing, Takato adjusts the pile of clothes in his arms. He can’t believe he’s having fun just holding her clothes for her.

* * *

_“Huh?!”_

_Jeri had leaned over and wrapped the boy in a tight hug, tears welling up in her eyes._

_“Woah, hey! I-I’m sorry!”_

_Laughing and crying Jeri pulled back, arms on the boys shoulders. Looking into the boys eyes, she wiped her face._

_“Don’t apologize. I’m happy…” The boy looked shocked. “I like you too, Takato.”_

_“T-then…” Takato took Jeri’s hands into his own. “Will you be my girlfriend?” He was blushing, and so was she. They could feel each other’s pulse through their hands. His hands were bigger than hers, warm and gentle._

_“Ever since Leomon died… you were always there to protect me.” Jeri had stopped crying now, and was tightly gripping Takato’s hands. “You saved me. When I thought that I wasn’t even worth saving, you were there.”_

_Standing up, she turned to Takato._

_“Now that our Digimon are gone, at least for now… I’ve got a better idea than just being your girlfriend!”_

_Takato gulped. Behind Jeri was the skyline of Shinjuku, and the glow of the evening sun setting behind it. She brushed her hair out of her face, and with a smile said proudly to him._

_“From now until forever, you and I are partners!”_

* * *

It had been a long day, and both of the ex-Tamers were tired. As they sat on the train back to Shinjuku, Jeri leaned her head to rest on Takato’s shoulder. Takato was looking down at his device.

“Still nothing on the D-Ark, huh?” Jeri asked, pulling out her own. The D-Ark’s had long since gone dormant. Every day was the same, checking on it throughout the day for any sort of activity.

“I just feel like we’re missing something.” Takato said as the screen reflected his face. “We’ve been working for 6 years, and have nothing to show for it.”

Jeri’s gaze worked up to Takato’s face, his brows furrowed. She knew of his sleepless nights spent researching code. He’d even been rewatching those Digimon shows, trying to see if their were any hints as to how he could get their Digimon back. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was one of the very few things he could actually do. After all, Digimon had only existed in the real world for just over a year. There was practically nothing but the notes left behind by the Monster Makers, the group that had created the Digimon. Henry’s father, Janyu, was their best lead, but even he was stumped.

“When was the last time Mr. Yamaki called?”

Takato sighed. “It’s been a couple months…”

Yamaki’s new project, Nyx, was working on trying to find new Digital points, after having sealed up Guilmon House and its portal. Just like Henry and Takato, they had very little to show for their work.

“I’m sure you all aren’t the only ones working on this.” Jeri said as she sat up. “I bet Guilmon, Terriermon, Renamon, and everyone else is doing their part too.”

Takato smiled as he put his D-Ark back.

“I hope they’re making better progress than us at least…”


	2. Signs

“The first day of Summer and what am I doing? The same thing I have been for the past 5 years. I’ve even started talking to myself…”

Sitting in front of his PC, Henry Wong was, as per usual, sifting through data. He took a moment to clean the lenses of his glasses, which he had needed to start wearing since high school began. The day he came back with them on, his mother Mayumi almost cried. She had talked about “how mature” and “like your father” he looked. He supposes that by now, he does look quite a bit like his dad. The last 6 years had been a rollercoaster for him, having two siblings move out, researching Digimon, and the usual teenage drama.

His room was neat. Nothing much stood out in it aside from the numerous programming textbooks. Some of them were about as old as his father, being the ones he had used when him and the Monster Makers had first created Digimon. Others were new, but had their pages dogeared from countless rereads.

From outside his room, he heard someone slip followed by a loud crash. “I’m okay!”

“Morning Suzie!” Henry called out as he rolled his eyes.

Not one to let a Summer morning go to good use, Suzie had slept in until almost noon. Despite being 14, Suzie still had some of her childhood habits. Which included bursting into her brothers room without warning.

“Henry! Where are my Lopmon and Terriermon hairpins?” In a panic, Suzie had opened Henry’s door. Her short purple hair was a mess and her pajamas were wrinkled.

“Did you check the kitchen counter?” Henry asked without even turning around.

He could hear her dashing through their family’s apartment, followed by a triumphant “Found them!”

…

Turning off the stove, Henry set a fresh plate of eggs in front of Suzie, now equipped with her custom made Lop/Terriermon hairpins, as he sat down at the other end of the table. He picked up his cup of tea as he leaned forward. Their parents had gone on a vacation visiting their grandparents back in China, leaving Henry in charge of the home.

“You know you could just make them yourself right?”

Suzie poured herself a glass of orange juice as she smiled. “That wouldn’t have gotten you out of your room.”

Henry raised his eyebrow as he took a sip from his tea. Despite her mannerisms, Suzie was a pretty smart girl. She had gotten pretty good at reading people too, something that must have come from their mothers side.

“How’s the map going?” Suzie asked as she gobbled up her food.

“About as well as you would expect.” Henry sunk back into his chair. She was asking about his personal project he had been working on for the last few months. Mysterious minor power outages, electronic systems glitching, and other minor phenomenon were being reported every day, but they were all over too quickly to be anything more than hiccups in the hardware. Or at least that’s what everyone assumed.

Henry had written a program that would pick out any and all information or posts about these events from social media, and was marking off higher density areas.

“Why haven’t you told Takato and the others about it yet?” Suzie was making short work of her breakfast as she asked her question.

Henry was silent for a moment, staring into his cup.

“I don’t want to give them false hope. It’s only a hunch. I’ll tell them when I have a better idea of what’s going on.”

“And what’s your hunch saying?”

Henry looked out the wall to wall windows in their living room overlooking Shinjuku.

“Not yet...”

Shrugging, Suzie walked over to the living room couch. Laying down, she flipped open her phone and began texting someone.

“I’ll let you get back to it then.”

* * *

Spending hours upon hours staring at a computer screen, working with small lines of code and reading hundreds of posts, might be the cause behind Henry’s latest headache. In fact, he was sure of it.

“There’s gotta be something I’m missing.”

Henry was staring at a map of Tokyo, with various red bubbles strewn throughout. The placement didn’t make any sense. Scratching his head, Henry tried turning the map every way he could think of. It had gotten to the point where the dots were starting to overlap on top of each other. Henry was supposed to be seeing something by this point, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what.

“Try narrowing it down.” Suzie said from over his shoulder.

“GAH!”

Having not heard his sister enter his room, Henry jumped back in surprise, bumping his knee on his desk and almost slamming into Suzie.

“You’ve GOT to stop doing that! You’re seriously gonna give me a heart attack one day!”

Rubbing his now sore knee, Henry froze.

“Wait… narrowing it down?”

Henry leaned back over his keyboard and began writing a new code.

“Maybe if I narrow down the type of device that was being reported as glitching…”

After going through the list of appliances and seeing the dots shift back and forth, Henry set the code to loop through the list and display the image. Now, written clearly on the map was a message.

**Bring D-Ark Tocho**

“Suzie, y-you’re a genius!” Henry exclaimed.

“Hmhm! Mama always said I was!” Suzie said as she puffed out her chest and walked over to the window. Without missing a beat, she turned back to Henry. “… What’s a Tocho?”

Henry got up, and stood behind Suzie at the window. Opening it, he felt the warm evening breeze blow into his room.

“Tocho… that’s the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Where Hypnos used to operate.”

Suzie leaned onto the windowsill, wearing her trademark smile.

“Looks like all that hard work finally paid off, huh?”

Henry turned away, rubbing tears from his eyes.

“Tomorrow we’ll go and check it out.”

“With everyone else, right?” Suzie cocked her head to the side, letting her brother believe she hadn’t seen him crying.

Picking up his D-Ark and running his finger along the screen, Henry nodded.


	3. Underneath Shinjuku

Yamaki Mitsuo is a busy man. For years he had worked as the only wall between the Digital world and the real world, until one day a trio of kids and their own Digimon started doing his job for him. After months of dealing with their reckless behavior, he somehow found himself taking a liking to the group. The years have gone by and as he aged, so too did that group of kids. He felt it was his responsibility to help them after everything they had done for him, especially after the whole Guilmon House fiasco.

Yamaki unlocked the front door and entered his apartment. The hallway light was on as he sat to take off his shoes.

“Dinner is almost ready!”

A light brunette head of hair popped out from the end of the hallway, belonging to Yamaki’s wife Riley. She had always been the one to pull Yamaki back from the numerous edges he was always straddling during their time at Hypnos, and after years of working together that bond began to take on a different meaning.

“Go ahead and get cleaned up, it’ll be out by the time you’re done.” Riley said as she walked over to her husband and kissed him on the forehead. “Oh, and Henry Wong called earlier. He said he needs to ask you a small favor for tomorrow.”

“A small one, eh? Yeah, I bet. I’ll call him back after dinner.”

* * *

**Day 2**

As the early morning sunlight began to peak through the towering buildings of Shinjuku, Suzie and Henry Wong were stepping off at the nearby station. Their destination: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Suzie was wearing a brown with pink stripes t-shirt and a pink skirt, while Henry was in a short sleeve plaid button up and jeans.

“I look like Lopmon, see!” She had proudly announced to Henry as they rode the elevator down from their apartment just an hour earlier. Apparently this was a contingency she had been planning for.

“Yamaki asked us to meet him in the first floor lobby.” Henry said as he checked his phone. Looking up, he could see Tocho towering over the nearby department stores and offices. With every step he took, he could feel his heart tightening in his chest.

* * *

The lobby was spacious, and with it still being an early Summer morning, not many tourists or visitors were present. The only people walking around were people getting paid to do it, including Ryo Akiyama. Having been hired by Yamaki to assist in the Nyx program, Ryo had been working as a sort of scout for possible Digital Points across Japan for the past 4 years. Spotting the Wong siblings from the second story walkway, Ryo made his way down the stairs. Wearing a light grey shirt with a blue heart on it, jeans, and his patented red bandana around his arm, he certainly didn’t look like he belonged in the business areas of Tocho.

“Nice shirt.” Henry joked as he greeted Ryo.

Looking down, Ryo seemed to realize for the first time today what he was wearing. “Oh. Good thing Rika isn’t here, she hates when I wear this one.”

“I thought Mr. Yamaki was the one who was meeting up with us?” Suzie asked as Ryo lead the two through the lobby.

“He was, but he got caught up in a meeting and didn’t want to make you both wait.” Ryo smiled to the receptionists as he waved his employee I.D. to them.

“He sounded surprised last night when I asked if he could get us into Hypnos.” Henry chuckled as he remembered the conversation.

“If it was anybody else, I’m sure he’d have hung up right away. Nobody has been down there in years ever since the D-Reaper attack, and it’s not exactly the easiest place to access.”

“They just left the place untouched?” Henry raised his eyebrow towards Ryo. 

“Yamaki fought tooth and nail for years to keep it from being dismantled. He reached a compromise with the higher ups by agreeing to shut down all the systems and programs, but in return they’ve been left where they were.”

“If that’s the case, why did that message say to come here?” Suzie had been walking a few paces behind the two boys, and had finally hopped into the conversation.

Henry pondered the question as they continued to walk through the private corridor and boarded an elevator.

* * *

The only source of light illuminating the former headquarters was the dim bulb from within the lift the trio had ridden down on, until Ryo pulled out a flashlight.

“Lights should be… here!”

Suddenly the overhead bulbs twinkled to life, casting a pale white light upon the armada of computers and switch boards laid out along the walls. Walking over to the first in the row, Henry ran his finger along the keyboard in front of him. A thick layer of dust caked the entire station.

“Well, we can rule out any interference from our side. These things haven’t been touched in years.”

“You thought a human had sent the message?” Suzie asked as she gazed up at the wall of screens in the center of the room.

“It was a possibility.”

“Like I said, none of the stations here have been used in half a decade.” Ryo pointed out as he joined Henry by the abandoned post. “I’m hurt you doubted me.” He said with a faux tinge of sadness.

Rolling his eyes, Henry set out to check each station for any signs of tampering. Each one was as dusty as the last. After finishing his search, Henry sat at one of the chairs and pulled out his D-Ark.

_Was it just a coincidence? No, there’s no way. All the pieces are here, there’s just something out of place…_

As Henry leaned back, he felt one of the wheels on the chair snap.

_Uh oh._

Crashing to the floor, he heard Suzie and Ryo run over to him.

“Are you alright?” Suzie asked as she kneeled down to help Henry up.

“I knew these chairs were old, but this is ridicu-” Ryo stopped mid-sentence as he had leaned over to pick up the faulty chair. He was frozen in place staring at something underneath the station next to Henry. Rubbing his head, Henry followed his gaze.

“Is that… a Digimon card?”

Grabbing the card, Henry noticed it was in mint condition, not even a speck of dust on it. Flipping the card over, Henry was met with a white canvas and a red triangle over top and upside down black triangle.

“Did someone leave it behind before Hypnos shut down?” Questioned Ryo as he pulled Henry to his feet.

“You really think Yamaki would have let someone play with _Digimon cards_ while he was around?” Suzie answered his question with her own.

“No, this isn’t an old card. Look, there isn’t any dust on it. It’s gotta be brand new. But how did it get down _here_ of all places?” Henry shook his head as he rolled the card over in his hands.

“That looks like Calumon’s symbol, doesn’t it?” Suzie pointed out.

“You’re right! It’s the mark he had on his forehead!”

Suddenly Henry had an idea. Grabbing his D-Ark, he swiftly slid the card through the reader.

A second passed… then ten… thirty…

“Nothing happened…” Sighed Suzie.

“I can see that, thank you.” Henry handed the card to his sister. “You give it a shot.”

After passing the card around the 3 of them and each of their scans resulting in nothing, Ryo spoke up.

“We’re probably on the right track with trying to scan it, but I don’t think this card is for us. We should try getting in touch with the others.”

“I think I have an idea on who we should go to first.” Suzie said, looking the card over once more. As the group boarded the elevator again, she pulled out her phone and began to write a message to someone. By the time they had reached the surface, she had a wide grin on her face.

* * *

The Katou’s restaurant was only a half hour train ride away from the Government Building. Inside was bar for patrons to order drinks from, with tables and booths lined up along the walls. Jeri was helping her parents clean up after the lunch rush as she heard to door’s bell chime.

“Hey Suzie! What did you need to talk about?” Jeri asked as she undid her apron and led the group to a table. Her step-mother brought over a trey of drinks and set it on the table before returning to the prep area.

Suzie began to explain, but by the third sentence she had started to go on a tangent about how long it took for her to make her Lopmon shirt and how little Henry seemed to appreciate it, causing Henry to take over.

After a (much simpler) recounting of the past 24 hours, Jeri was holding the Digimon card in her hand. "You really think this will work?"

Ryo shrugged. "It's our only lead."

“So just… slash it like we used to...”

Jeri brought the card to the reader on her D-Ark. Taking a deep breath, she slid the card down and through the machine.

And then the lights went off.


	4. Connections

Despite the lack of electricity, the restaurant wasn’t dark. Beams of mid afternoon sunlight streamed through the windowsill slats, illuminating patches of the room. Jeri was stood beside the table. Everyone else had vanished into seemingly thin air.

_Alone._

Jeri gripped her D-Ark. She felt _it’s_ presence.

_Abandoned._

Just like 7 years ago.

_Your fault._

Trying to get inside her head. Using her own voice, her own memories. But she was different now. She wasn’t a scared, easy to manipulate little girl. She wouldn’t let herself be anything but strong. Closing her eyes, Jeri focused on her D-Ark.

Slowly, the presence faded back into nothing. Then, radio static.

“…Je…..ri? Hello…ooo?”

Calumon’s voice. The signal seemed to be tuning in, and after a few moments-

“JERIIIIIIIIII?! HELLOOOOOOOOOOO???”

Jeri held the D-Ark way from her. Definitely Calumon.

Cautiously Jeri spoke into the device. “I’m here… Calumon…”

“IT WORKED!” She could hear Calumon’s feet patting around as he ran around in a circle.

“Oh Jeri! I’ve got so many stories to tell you! It’s been so long, and we’ve been working really hard, and-” Before he could get off track, another voice spoke up. A heavy yet kind voice, spoken with a sense of authority.

“ **We do not have time for this, Calumon. We must relay the instructions to her.”**

“Azulongmon…” Calumon whined. “…You’re right but I don’t like it, not one bit!”

Jeri was surprised. Someone actually managed to keep Calumon from going off on a tangent.

**“Young Jeri, please listen carefully to what we have to tell you…”**

* * *

Jeri was back in the restaurant booth. Ryo, Henry, and Suzie’s eyes were on her. Looking down she noticed she had just finished swiping the card. Henry raised his eyebrow. Something had happened. In the split second it took for Jeri to swipe the card, something had changed.

Henry was worried until Jeri looked back up with a smile. “We’ve got a plan!”

“Huh?” Suzie and Ryo said at the same time, tilting their heads. Henry nodded as he crossed his arms.

“Do you all remember how you first contacted your Digimon?” Jeri asked. The others nodded.

“After a tournament, I found Cyberdramon through a digital zone.”

“I was playing with Terriermon and he came through from my computer.”

“I met Antylamon in the Digital World and he saved me from Makuramon.”

“Wait wait wait.” Ryo was scratching the back of his neck. “How did we go from you slashing the card to this? What happened?”

“Ah, right. I talked with Calumon and Azulongmon.”

“HUH?” Came the second duet from Suzie and Ryo.

“Now, as for the plan…”

* * *

Jeri sat in her room. It had been a couple hours since she had given everyone instructions on what they needed to do. She had felt lightheaded after the group left the restaurant, and had asked her parents if she could take the rest of the day off. Evening had rolled around, and as she gazed out her window Jeri sighed. She had fulfilled her role for now, leaving her only to wait.

* * *

“It’s gotta be around here somewhere…”

Rika was digging through her closet. Piles of clothes and stacks of boxes were strewn behind her as she searched.

“There! … No…”

Sliding another useless box past her, she kept looking.

Ryo was helping Rika’s grandmother prepare dinner, occasionally checking in on Rika for progress updates. His last report concluded with an old sneaker to the nose as Rika had tossed it behind her without noticing him.

* * *

“How am I supposed to find another 8 headed snake to fight?!” Kazu moaned as he fell backwards onto his home’s patio.

“I don’t think they meant it literally.” Kenta said from inside. He was playing a game on Kazu’s TV. “At least you know how you got Guardromon. MarineAngemon just showed up in my pocket!”

The two young men looked at each other before sighing.

* * *

“How am I supposed to go to the Digital World?!” Suzie moaned as she slumped onto the living room couch.

“I’m sure Lopmon will come with Terriermon. After all, they’re practically joined at the hip.” Henry reassured his sister as he booted up his old PC, having set it up in the living room.

“Maybe I should go to the zoo…” Suzie wondered aloud.

“Just because Makuramon looked like a monkey doesn’t mean-” Henry started matter-of-factly.

“I was kidding!”

* * *

Ai and Mako had just gotten back from Summer school when they got the message from Suzie. Their mother wouldn’t be home until late at night, and as Mako was preparing dinner he heard his big sister call for him.

As she came down the hallway, he noticed one of their old teddy bears in her arms.

“An old stuffed animal?” Mako asked as he cracked some eggs.

“Don’t you remember?” Ai replied, pointing out the stitches along the bears arm.

“Oh! That’s the bear we fought over!” Mako pointed the spatula at his sister. “You think that might work?”

Ai had begun to set plates for the two of them. “I can’t really remember when we first found Impmon… But…”

Mako thought for a moment. “It’s the best thing we’ve got, I guess…”

* * *

Takato knew what he needed. Lucky for him, he had kept it in a safe place for all these years. Opening his desk drawer, Takato pulled out his old Digimon card tin. Sealed in plastic bag and wrapped in some cloth was his original drawing of Guilmon.

“Wait…”

Looking back at the drawing, Takato noticed something was off. Grabbing an old crayon from one of the drawers, he carefully scribbled onto the paper Guilmon’s chest.

“I don’t know where this thing came from, but I could never forget it.”

Putting the scrap paper back into the bag, he set it back down on the desk.

“The Digital Hazard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the nearly month long wait! Finals were wearing me out so I never had much time to focus on writing, along with other reasons. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and look forward to the next!


	5. Regrets

It was late. Cicadas could be heard chirping outside of Rika’s room as she and Ryo laid out a full cardboard box of Digimon trading cards onto the coffee table in front of them. She believed this was what she needed to do to fulfill her part of bringing back the Digimon. Ryo peaked up as he was setting up his deck, catching a quick glance of Rika’s furrowed brows.

“You’re cute when you’re focused.” He nonchalantly said as he looked back down to the scattered cards and grabbed a few.

He heard a low groan from Rika as she leaned off to the side to grab a card that had slipped away.

“We haven’t even started the game and you’re already trying to get on my nerves.” Rika’s relaxed eyes didn’t match the sharp tone she had just used.

Ryo chuckled to himself. Looking out into the garden he leaned back onto his arms, hearing a frog as it joined the symphony of chirps. It had been 3 months since Rika asked Ryo out.

“It honestly shocked me.”

Rika turned her head to follow Ryo’s gaze. “What did?”

“You asking me out. I mean, it really did surprise me.”

Ryo once against let out a laugh. A cloud had made its way in front of the moon, casting a shadow across the yard. Ryo wasn’t looking at Rika but he could feel her shifting around. After a moment, she spoke up.

“You spent a long time in the Digital World. A long time _alone_. I mean, you were just a _kid_. I know that’s weird coming from me, but…” Rika clenched her pajamas. “You were just like you were when we first met. Cracking jokes and egging me on. After everything with the D-Reaper, I expected to see you more, play against you more. But you just… disappeared for months on end.”

“It wasn’t like I didn’t want to see all of you guys, it’s just that as the one with the most experience with the Digital World-”

“I know!” Rika interrupted. “But you were just a kid! On top of sealing Guilmon’s House they used a teenager to look for Digital Points!”

“Rika listen, I wanted to help them. Besides the fact that Yamaki had my back the entire time, they covered all of my living expenses and even hired tutors to teach me everything I had missed from school.”

“You missed out on your childhood is what you did.” Rika was upset. This was something she had been bottling up within her for a long time. “I can count on both of my hands the amount of times you got to hang out with everyone. Doesn’t that make you mad?!”

Rika was standing now, fists clenched at her side and tears in her eyes. Ryo was staring down at his lap as he answered.

“I was mad. In the beginning I hated my situation. I hated myself for running away to the Digital World for all those years. The look my dad gave me when I came back… it wasn’t joy. It was confusion. Even he didn’t know how to feel about his missing-supposed-dead son coming back. After a couple months of awkward silence between my parents and I, Yamaki contacted me and asked for my assistance with Nyx.”

Rika hadn’t known about Ryo and his parents estrangement. The last she had heard about them was that they had moved to Kyoto a few years back, and she never wanted to bring up the topic during the very few visits she had had with Ryo.

Rika’s room was illuminated by pale moonlight as the Summer breeze lazily moved the clouds in the sky. Rika could now see Ryo more clearly, along with the damp patches on his pants and the tatami mat beneath him. Ryo’s back was shaking gently as he nearly gasps out his next sentence.

“I’m sorry…”

Rika grit her teeth. She didn’t like seeing Ryo like this, and she especially didn’t like the fact that she was the reason. Walking over to him she kneels down and cradles his head against her chest. Leaning over, her hair falls over Ryo as she sobs into him.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to help you back then.”

No longer stifling his tears, Ryo openly cries into Rika as nearly a decade of loneliness and regret washes over him. Off in the corner of the room, an unnoticed faint glow emits from the pair of D-Ark’s.


	6. Eizen Ozaki

Day 3

_If you just get it over with, you can spend the rest of Summer getting Guilmon back._

Takato was sat looking down at his desk. A pile of notebooks was stacked up along the side of the desk, and opposite it were the corresponding textbooks. Along with Summer came any students worst dream. Summer assignments. A grimace was spread across his face as he glanced back and forth between the two mountains of work. Below him he heard the usual hustle of the early morning bakery kitchen, and every now and then his parents singing some songs as they worked.

_Just…. Get this over with…_

“Takato! Ozaki is here!” His mother’s voice rang out from below him.  
_Oh thank goodness._

Takato took the opportunity to put off his Summer work, making his way downstairs.

“Yo!” came Ozaki’s voice from the entrance.

“Eizen, what are you doing here? And so early? I would have thought you’d be sleeping the entire first week of Summer.”

Eizen Ozaki was of average height, just an inch or two taller than Takato, his long raven black hair constantly falling in front of his face and being tucked back behind his ear. His face was slender and his jawline barely visible. His green eyes seemed to take in every bit of his surroundings, but his tired posture suggested a more laid back personality. His green shorts, littered with Digimon designs, didn’t even come close to matching his pink t-shirt.

“Haha, very funny. My dad needed me to bring him his toolbox.” Ozaki shrugs his shoulder, on which is his school bag with his fathers toolbox sticking out haphazardly. “Can you believe a professional electrician would forget his toolbox? Might be time to stick the old man in a home!”

“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that next time I see him.” Takato said, tossing Ozaki a fresh pastry.

“Geh! It’s a joke!” Ozaki tried to defend himself as he stuffed his face with the free food.

Takato had affixed an apron onto himself, supposing he could help around the bakery for a bit to prolong his schoolwork. Ozaki had scarfed down the pastry, using his pants to rub off the crumbs.

“So how’s that painting going?”

Ozaki groaned. He had been working on a project at home for the past few weeks, periodically updating Takato on its status.

“Nowhere near finished. I keep getting the first layer down, but I end up wanting to change something about it and starting all over.”

“Could I see some of the drafts? I might be able to help with something?” Takato asked, curious about his friends hidden talent.

“No, no I couldn’t… You’ll definitely be the first to see it when it’s finished though.” Ozaki watched as Takato arranged the fresh loaves of bread along the presentation stand and shelves facing the street. “Anyway, I should get going. See ya later, man!”

With that, Ozaki left as swiftly as he had appeared.

* * *

The first year of middle school, and a year after the D-Reaper attack. Takato was sitting at his desk, head in his hand as he stared out the window. Lunchtime had rolled around, but he wasn’t hungry. He hadn’t been for a while now, ever since starting his life at the new school and being separated from his Digimon partner. The classroom he was sat in was empty, with the early afternoon sunlight casting short shadows from the desks.

“You’re Takato Matsuki, right?”

Shocked back to reality by a strangers voice, Takato turned his head to see who had called for him. A classmate of his… Ozaki…. Something or other. He had seen him around the school, but he never really stood out. His short black hair was swept to the side, and his school uniform was untucked.

“Ah, sorry, I should introduce myself, I’m Eizen-”

“Ozaki, right?”

The raven haired boy’s lips curled in a smile as his eyes suddenly beamed.

“I just wanted to thank you for saving me back during the D-Reaper attack! My house was just out of range, but still you and everyone else were amazing! The way you could all transform with your Digimon, and then how as Gallantmon you fought off all those weird monsters, and then-”

Takato had heard this sort of thing dozens of times by now. He had gotten used to it, but instead of making him feel like some sort of hero, all he felt inside was a sense of loneliness. His chest felt hollow without Guilmon’s big dumb head bumping into it every day when he got home from school. Of course he couldn’t show this to anyone, he had been the supposed leader of the Tamers. If they saw him getting depressed over it, then naturally so would they.

Ozaki was a very physical person, explaining Takato’s heroics with motions of his arms and grandiose body language.

“Listen, Ozaki, you really don’t have to thank me. Just knowing no one was seriously injured is more than enough for me.” Takato said, raising his hand to signal for Ozaki to stop. He was tired, and he just wished he could be at home asleep in his bed.

Ozaki froze. His gaze hardened on Takato. Suddenly, a chill run up his spine. Just as quickly as his eyes had shifted into this gaze, so too did they turn back to normal.

“I understand.” Ozaki said, standing straight up. “I know it will sound weird, but I’ve noticed you aren’t the same as you were back then.”

Takato looked back to the strange boy. Looking at him again, the boy’s presence felt suffocating. His eyes were back to normal, but something behind them still felt like they were dissecting Takato. Searching him.

“What… what do you mean…?” Takato choked out.

“I mean you’ve lost your spark.” Ozaki said calmly. His words hit Takato like a truck. Silenced, he could only stare up at Ozaki. The view infuriated him.

From deep within a bubbling rage filled his heart, something he must have kept suppressed all this time. Standing up from the desk caused his chair to slam against the ground, loudly clattering to the floor.

“How would you know?! You don’t know me!”

“I never claimed to. I just said that the you from a year ago had something that you now don’t. It’s obvious, at least to me, that you’re hurting right now.” Ozaki said this in as flat a tone as possible as he reached into his school bag. Pulling out what looked like a small canvas, he turned it around to an enraged Takato.

On it was a painting of a smiling Guilmon.

“Which is why I made this for you. As my real thanks.”

Takato stared at the painting. It felt like he was looking at a picture it was so real. The anger he had felt vanished instantly, replaced instead by a feeling of warmth.

“You… you made this?”

Ozaki smiled. “Ahahaha, yeah I guess I did!” Rubbing the back of his head, he suddenly seemed embarrassed. “I never would have guessed I would have stepped on such a big landmine while giving it to you. Sorry about that!”

Ozaki handed the painting over to Takato, returning his bag to his shoulder.

“No, no I should be the one apologizing. I don’t know what came over me… I… Thank you.”

Ozaki was smiling ear to ear when Takato looked back up. What had happened just moments ago seemed like a distant memory to him as he took Takato’s hand and shook it. Just then the bell began to ring, signaling the start of the next period.

“Ah, I’ve got to go! I’ll see you tomorrow Takato!” Ozaki said as he scrambled out of the room and into the hallway. Takato was left staring after him, the strange boy who had somehow figured him out. From the same doorway entered Jeri. Taking her seat next to his desk, she looked down at the fallen chair and up at the canvas in his hand.

“Takato, you alright? You look different.” She said, concern entering her voice.

“Huh? Oh! Uh, right. That was just an accident, I’m fine, really!” Takato quickly recovered the chair and sat back down. Jeri watched him for a moment before giggling.

“What? Is there something on my face?” He asked, feeling around on his cheek for something.

“No, it’s nothing. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Blushing, Takato turned to attention as their teacher entered the room. Whatever had happened, Jeri was thankful for it.

That was the first time in a long while that she had seen Takato genuinely smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the long wait, again... College has been a real pain and I've been finding it hard to be motivated to work on TLS. I still love working on it, but putting aside time to brainstorm and write it all out is still pretty tough. Anyway, meet Eizen Ozaki! An original character who I plan on using throughout the story. Stay tuned to find out what secrets he holds!


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